1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to misting devices and, more specifically, to a portable spray misting device for use with a portable fan for producing a cooling atomized mist spray,
2. Description of the Prior Art
Portable cooling and misting devices which are used by sunbathers and others involved in athletic activities are fairly well known in the art. The concept of such devices is to provide a cooling current of air, either alone or in combination with an atomized liquid mist, such as water, to combat the elements of heat and dehydration attendant with athletic activities and/or prolonged exposure to the sun.
The prior art discloses a portable electric powered fan which is capable of being easily carried on a person and which is battery powered for delivering a cooling stream of air at any remote location without the need for cords or electrical outlets. The shortcoming of the prior art device is that it does not disclose a misting and/or fluid atomizing means for providing additional cooling relief to a user.
The prior art further teaches a portable misting fan device having an integral portable fan and atomizing head unit which includes electric power means for operating the fan unit and which forms a portable cooling unit. The head unit is attached by a screw-type connector to a standard fluid spray bottle. A trigger is positioned upon the head unit and, upon depressing, withdraws fluid from the bottle through a stem extending downwardly from the head unit into the bottle and discharges the fluid against the rear lower faces of the fan blade unit where they are subsequently dispersed in a mostly forward direction.
While providing a useful fan spray device, the prior art misting fan suffers from the shortcoming that it cannot be carried and used separately from the spray bottle base as a fan unit when it is desired to not employ the misting device. The unit is also quite bulky and requires the user to carry around more liquid than is reasonably needed for a single occasion. This is so because the relative size and weight of the head unit in the prior art device requires that the bottle be of at least a minimum size and the use of either a smaller bottle or a less than adequately filled bottle would result in instability of the design. The design of the spray outlet in the prior art device directs much of the delivered fluid to the back of the fan blades and invariably results in fluid dripping from the fan blades and centrifugal distribution of the water in a radial direction. Finally, the prior art device lacks an ergonomic grip for comfortably holding and carrying the device.